[Pkg-utopia-maintainers] Bug#460625: Check for python build-deps doesn't allow packages relying on specific versions

[Loïc Minier]

Package: lintian
Version: 1.23.42
Severity: minor

        Hi,

 The d-feet package was uploaded to NEW and rejected because of this
 lintian error:
E: d-feet source: missing-build-dependency python | python-dev | python-all | python-all-dev

 d-feet, like more and more upstreams, relies on python 2.5 or higher,
 while we're currently at python == python2.4.  This case, as well as
 the case of a package relying on an older python version than the
 current default one, is supported by the new Python Policy.

 I had a short look at check/fields in lintian, and my understanding is
 that it checks for particular regexps indicating python, dh_python,
 CDBS, or DEB_PYTHON_SYSTEM usage and reports corresponding missing
 build-deps.
   The d-feet package doesn't call dh_py* directly, but relies on CDBS
 python-distutils and debhelper classes.  These CDBS classes will call
 dh_python, dh_pysupport, and setup.py:
 - the dh_python documentation claims that "If you use this program,
   your package should build-depend on python.", however note that
   dh_python disables itself if one of debian/pycompat or Python-Version
   is present; so dh_python can be ignored for build-deps in policy v2
   mode (except debhelper, naturally)
 - dh_pysupport doesn't call into python directly
 - setup.py is being called with the first versions reported by
   pyversions -vr, so "python2.5 setup.py" is called

 So technically, I think the package has proper build-deps.

 I think lintian is being overzealous here, but given the complexity of
 the new python policy, the dh_py* mess, and the additional CDBS
 complexity, this is not too surprizing.  I do want this issue
 documented in this bug report as to allow d-feet and other packages to
 be accepted with what I think are proper build-deps.

 I personally wouldn't mind honoring a request by the lintian
 maintainers or ftpmasters to add a python build-dep to shut up lintian,
 but would prefer keeping the package as is if they don't recommend it.

   Cheers,

 PS: d-feet is at svn.debian.org/svn/pkg-utopia/packages/unstable/d-feet

-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.24-rc5-686 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages lintian depends on:
ii  binutils            2.18.1~cvs20080103-1 The GNU assembler, linker and bina
ii  diffstat            1.45-2               produces graph of changes introduc
ii  dpkg-dev            1.14.15              package building tools for Debian
ii  file                4.21-4               Determines file type using "magic"
ii  gettext             0.17-2               GNU Internationalization utilities
ii  intltool-debian     0.35.0+20060710.1    Help i18n of RFC822 compliant conf
ii  libparse-debianchan 1.1.1-2              parse Debian changelogs and output
ii  liburi-perl         1.35.dfsg.1-1        Manipulates and accesses URI strin
ii  man-db              2.5.0-4              on-line manual pager
ii  perl [libdigest-md5 5.8.8-12             Larry Wall's Practical Extraction 

lintian recommends no packages.

-- no debconf information

-- 
Loïc Minier